Just in time for the holidays, Central Oregonians will no longer have to drive over the Cascades for a HoneyBaked Ham.

Phillip Iantosca, a HoneyBaked Ham franchisee who owns stores in Medford and Eugene, said he will begin selling the company’s iconic hams at Newport Avenue Market starting this weekend, with additional plans to open a standalone retail store by next spring.

Iantosca said the decision was an easy one, considering how many Central Oregonians already visit his two existing stores.

“There’s a good market in Bend and lots of people (are) familiar with the product and know its quality that are willing to make a drive over the passes to get it, so it’s time to move the product closer to the customer,” Iantosca said.

Until the planned retail store opens, locals wishing to buy a ham will need to order it from the market, and it generally takes a week for the order to be fulfilled, Iantosca said. Central Oregonians have been able to purchase HoneyBaked Hams from the company catalog, but those are delivered frozen, he said.

The hams available at the market will be delivered fresh after being prepared, with the company’s signature honey-based glaze, at Iantosca’s store in Eugene. A ham that can serve six to eight people sells for approximately $43, and a similar size boneless ham sells for between $45 and $50, he said. In addition to the signature glaze, each one is smoked for 24 hours and is free of preservatives.

Iantosca said he has identified a retail site at the Cascade Village Shopping Center but has yet to sign a lease.

The store also will serve sandwiches and sell other HoneyBaked Ham products, he added.

Iantosca said the hams will be available for order at the market even after the planned retail store opens.

Randy Yochum, the market’s meat manager, said customers frequently ask about the hams, which are available in many parts of the country and are a holiday tradition.

“I do have people ask me about it and I know there are people that will travel over to Eugene or Medford to get it, especially because of the influx of people here from other areas of the country. Sometimes, if they move to Central Oregon, their holiday traditions have to go away,” Yochum said.

He said the hams will be a good fit for the market because they are a “high-end, well-known product.”

The market plans to offer tasting demonstrations on weekends leading up to Thanksgiving. Yochum said the market will carry some hams around Christmas for walk-up customers, but otherwise, people should order them from the meat counter.

The HoneyBaked Ham Co. is headquartered in Norcross, Ga., and is privately held. It owns more than 115 stores nationwide, and franchisees operate another approximately 285 stores across the country. HoneyBaked Ham has stores in Portland, Beaverton and Salem.